Apparatus for covering a surface with coating material



Nov. 10, 1970 R. M. sTEBBlNs 3,539,268

APPARATUS FOR COVERING A SURFACE WITH COATING MATERIAL Filed sept. 11, 1968 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTON.' RAY M. E TEBBINS.

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Nov. 10, 1970 R. M. s'rEBBlNs 3,539,2@8

APPARATUS FOR COVERING A SURFACE WITH COATING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 11, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,539,268 APPARATUS FOR COVERING A SURFACE WITH COATlNG MATERIAL Ray M. Stebbins, 3847 Eggeman Ave., Toledo, Ohio 43612 Filed Sept. 11, 1968, Ser. No. 759,010 Int. Cl. B44d 3/28 U.S. Cl. 401-197 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to apparatus for applying coating materials to surfaces.

Paint rolling apparatus including means for continuously supplying paint to a roller has heretofore been proposed in the art. Paint in such instances has been supplied through a hollow tube to the interior of the roller from which it feeds outwardly through a porous applicator cover. The roller in such instances has been full of paint and, consequently, relatively heavy, particularly when used to paint ceilings or used in any application over a lengthy period of time. In the rollers heretofore known, the paint seals between the rotatable rollers and the stationary axle have also been a problem. A liquid-tight seal must be achieved between the roller and the axle, and yet the roller must be sufficiently free to roll around the axle and along the surface without slippage when paint is being applied. Since the coefficient of friction between the roller and the surface being painted is quite low, the seals must be effective and yet enable the roller to roll freely on the axle. Rollers with internal paint supply means heretofore employed have not achieved both an effective seal and free rolling.

In continuous paint supply means for rollers heretofore known, the pressure used to force the paint from a supply source through a exible conduit to the roller has usually been achieved through use of compressed air supplied by a compressor. The compressor component, being relatively expensive, resulted in the cost of the overall apparatus also being expensive and rendering the market for such apparatus quite limited. Also, the compressor required a source of power which was not always available.

The paint apparatus in accordance with the invention employs a roller with a central core whereby paint is carried in only a shallow annular chamber of the roller around the core. The paint is supplied through the axle but at a point intermediate of the roller so that no special seals are required at the ends of the roller where it is rotatably mounted on the axle. The only seals employed are adjacent the intermediate part of the roller where the paint is supplied to the annular chamber and these seals produce a minimum amount of friction.

The paint supply apparatus includes a manually fed, positive-displacement piston which supplies the paint from a container through a flexible conduit to the roller. The positive displacement by the piston enables a large amount of pressure to be applied to the paint through the manually operated mechanism to assure an adequate supply of even thicker latex paint to the roller. At the same time, the pressure applying apparatus is of simple and low-cost construction which enables the entire paint rolling apparatus to be sold at a low enough price that a relatively wide market, including home owners, is achieved. The employment of the piston to achieve pressure also eliminates the need for any valve between the paint supply source and the paint applicator because the piston can be easily manipulated to control pressure. A supply tube with a thinner wall can also be used.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide paint rolling apparatus including an improved paint roller and improved paint supply means.

Another object of the invention is to provide paint rolling apparatus including a roller which rolls more easily and yet will not leak paint.

Still another object of the invention is to provide improved paint applying apparatus including a low-cost, manually-operated paint supply means.

A further object of the invention is to provide painting apparatus including paint supply means utilizing a positive-displacement piston in a paint supply source.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an overall view in elevation of painting apparatus according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal cross section of a roller constituting part of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in elevation, with parts broken away and with parts in section, of a paint supply means of the apparatus of FIG. l; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional View of a slightly modified piston.

Referring particularly to FIG. 1, painting apparatus according to the invention includes a paint applicator indicated at 10 and a paint supply source indicated at 12. A flexible conduit or tube 14 is connected between the applicator and the paint supply and, since the paint source 12 is relatively portable and can be easily moved by the painter to a point near the surface being painted, the flexible tube 14 can be relatively short, in the order of six feet, for many applications.

The paint applicator 10 includes a rigid, formed tube 16, one end of which extends through a handle 18 and is connected by a suitable clamp 20, which can be a hose clamp, to the tube 14. The tube 16 has a straight portion 22 serving as an axle which extends through a paint roller 24. The roller 24 has a cover 26 which is preferably disposable and includes a perforate rigid sleeve or cardboard tube 2S having suitable openings 30 therein and on which bers 32 are affixed in a conventional manner.

A pair of core members 34 and 36 are located within the roller 24, the members being preferably identical so as to be made from a single mold. The core members have outer ends 38 and 40 slightly enlarged to it closely with the sleeve 28 and have end flanges 42 and 44 cooperating with the ends of the sleeve 28 to position the core members in predetermined positions on the axle 22. Intermediate cylindrical portions 46 and 48 of the core members form annular chambers 50` and 52 with the sleeve 28 for receiving paint and distributing it to the openings 30. Annular inner walls 53 and 54 extend inwardly from the inner ends of the cylindrical portions 46 and 48 to an intermediate portion of the axle 22 where the walls terminate in short flanges or lips 56 and 58 extending toward one another. These contact an intermediate portion of the axle 22 on outer sides of a transverse opening 60 which supplies paint from the tube 16 to an intermediate supply chamber 62 communicating with the shallow annular chambers 50 and 52. A suitable plug or stop 64 in the axle 22 prevents passage of the paint through the tube beyond the transverse Opening 60.

Outer annular metal discs or walls `66 and 68 are aflixed in the ends of the roller and specifically in the enlarged ends 40 and 42 of the core members 34 and 36. The discs 66 and 68 have openings centrally thereof which are received on the axle 22 and are relatively free to rotate thereon. A split ring 70 limits axial movement of the roller 24 on the axle 22 in one direction, and a stop nut 72 is mounted on a threaded portion 74 of the axle 22 at the other end to limit movement of the roller in the opposite direction on the axle.

From the above, it will be seen that the paint in the tube 16 enters the opening 60 under pressure and passes through the intermediate supply chamber 62 to the outer shallow chambers S and 52. From here, the paint passes through the openings 30 in the sleeve 2S to the ibers 32 of the cover 26. Because the paint is supplied centrally to the sleeve 28, it flows more uniformly to the openings 30 over the length of the sleeve. If flow of paint to the center of the cover 26 is slightly heavier, it is easily distributed as the roller rolls on a surface. Further, this minimizes paint build-up at the ends of the cover 26, as tends to occur with conventional rollers.

The pressure of the paint in the intermediate chamber 62 also tends to urge the lips 56 and 58 into contact with the axle 22 to provide an effective seal for the paint. At the same time, there is relatively little friction between the lips 56 and S8 and the axle 22 so that rotation of the roller on the axle 22 is impeded to a minimum degree. Since paint does not enter the interior of the core members 34 and 36 around the axle 22, no special seals are required between the end walls `66 and 68 and the axle 22 and friction at these points is minimal. Hence, a substantially dripandl leak-free roller is achieved with the only friction being at the small central portion of the axle 22 adjacent the transverse opening 60. The relatively free rotation of the roller on the axle thereby enables the roller to roll along the wall or surface being coated with minimum slipping.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 4 and 5, the paint source 12 includes a container 76 which preferably has a capacity of one gallon so as to carry and dis pense up to one gallon of paint in one application, if desired. The container 76 is supported on a suitable base or legs '78 which raise the bottom of the container from the supporting surface to provide space for an outlet elbow 80 communicating with a central bottom portion of the container 76. A rigid conduit 82 communicates with the elbow 80 and extends outwardly beyond the container where it is connected with the flexible tube 14 by a hose clamp 84 or other suitable connection. An upper edge portion 86 of the container 76 is flared to facilitate entry of a piston 88 into the container after paint is poured therein. A domed lid 90 closes off the container 76 and can be fastened by rolled threads 92 and 94. Other suitable means can be used to fasten the lid to the container, particularly since the space in the container 76 between the piston 88 and the lid 90 is not air-tight.

A piston rod 96 is connected centrally to the piston 88 and extends upwardly through an opening 98 in the lid 90. The rod 96 has a plurality of notches 100 uniformly spaced and extending longitudinally along one side of the rod. The rod 96 also terminates in an upper handle 102 `which facilitates manipulation of the rod. A spring-loaded pawl 104, which is pivotally carried on a lever 106, engages the notches 100 and forces the rod 96 downwardly as the lever 106 is moved in a clockwise direction about a pivot 108. A resilient stop member 110 prevents retraction of the piston rod 96 as it is moved downwardly by the pawl and lever. A stationary handle 112 constituting part of a support 113 for the lever pivot 108 and the stop member 110 facilitates manipulation of the lever 106 by a one hand operation whereby the painter can hold the applicator 10 in one hand while he operates the lever 106 with the other hand to force the piston rod 96 downwardly. The piston 88 is thereby moved downwardly in increments with a positive displacement. When it is desired to retract the piston 88, the rod 96 is turned 90 to move the notches out of engagement with the pawl 104 and the stop 110, at which time the rod 96 can be pulled upwardly by the handle 102.

Arms 114 extend upwardly from the container 76 and hold the flexible tube 14 when not in use. A bracket 115 on the lid 90 engages the applicator 10 when not used and positions it above the level of paint in the container.

The positive displacement of the piston 88 by the incremental feed forces a given quantity of paint through the flexible -tube 14, the tube 16, and the roller 24 to the cover 26, each time the lever 106 is operated. Since the quantity is relatively small, the amount fed to the roller cover is not usually considered excessive. However, if the initial amount of paint forced through the cover is deemed more than desirable, the notches 100 can be spaced closer together or the diameter of the container 76 can be decreased. As another possibility, the tube 14 can be made with a suliiciently thin wall that it will expand somewhat as the piston 88 is initially moved downwardly, to prevent an excessive initial flow of paint to the roller cover. Another means of initially preventing an undue amount of paint from passing through the cover 26 is by means of a convex compressible cushion or cover 116 which is centrally attached to a modified piston 118, as shown in FIG. 5. The cover 116 is backed by a resilient spongy material 120 which enables the cover 116 to compress as the piston is moved downwardly to prevent an initial excess quantity of paint. The pressure is then maintained on the paint by the compressed spongy material 120 which urges the cover 116 back toward its original convex position.

The piston 118, as shown, is in two parts, including a central circular plate portion 122 and a resilient outer skirt 124 which has a flange 126 received in a groove 12S. With this arrangement, the piston skirt 124 can be easily replaced as necessary. The piston 118, as shown, also has a check valve which enables the piston 118 to be retracted and removed from the container more easily when necessary for the purpose of adding new paint. The check valve includes a rubber button or disc having a circular portion overlapping vent openings 132. The disc 130 enables air to ow downwardly through the openings 132 as the piston is retracted but otherwise effectively blocks the openings when pressure is being applied to paint in the container.

The check valve comprising the disc 130 is not essential to the operation of the apparatus, however. In fact, without the check valve, when the piston 118 is pulled upwardly, at the end of a painting operation, it will reduce suction in the container which is effective to pull paint out of the tube 14 and Vthe applicator 10 back into the container, from which it can be emptied into the original paint can or otherwise disposed of. Consequently, the overall apparatus is easier to clean since the tube 14 and the applicator 10 are substantially empty. To completely clean the tube and applicator, a suitable solvent is placed in the container and forced through the tube and applicator in the same manner as the paint.

From the above, it will be seen that the apparatus embodying the invention has many advantages. Various modifications of the apparatus as shown and described will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are to be considered as within the scope of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim:

1. A paint roller comprising a perforate sleeve, an axle extending substantially through said sleeve, wall means at each end of said sleeve rotatably carrying said sleeve on said axle, said axle being hollow to an intermediate portion of said sleeve and having a transverse passage at the intermediate portion, two core members in said sleeve, each of said core members having a generally cylindrical wall of slightly smaller diameter than said sleeve and occupying a volume slightly smaller than one half the volume of said sleeve to form a shallow annular space with said sleeve and having an outer annular portion engaging an outer portion of said sleeve, an inner end of each of said core members extending inwardly to said axle at a point spaced near but outwardly of said transverse passage to direct ow of liquid from said transverse passage to the annular spaces and to restrict flow of liquid between said core members and said axle.

2. A paint roller according to claim 1 characterized by each of said core members having an annular lip contacting said axle and extending toward one another whereby pressure of liquid between the inner ends of said core members urge said lips into sealing contact with said axle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS HARLAND S. SKOGQUIST, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 401-179 

